A threat to the social order

A 'problem frame' analysis of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia programme within print media

Bibliographic Data

ID2933028
AuthorsVictoria Rawlings (0000-0003-0614-2598, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Jenna Loveday (The University of Sydney)
Year2022
Volume43
Issue6
Pages851-865
Publication date2022-11-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDiscourse Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0159-6306 • E-ISSN: 1469-3739
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01596306.2021.1918060
OpenAlexW3157487768
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited30

This paper reports on print media coverage of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) in the two years until its federal review and loss of funding. Through applying Altheide’s theories of the ‘problem frame’ in mass media, articles from the 13 national and capital cities papers were analysed to ascertain the dominant productions surrounding the SSCA, and how these framed gender and sexuality diversity within and outside schooling environments. Analyses illustrated that print media dominantly constructed the programme using three ‘problem frames’. These relied on fear productions of the possible threat towards childhood innocence, heteronormativity, and cisnormativity. Depictions of threats to ‘freedom of speech’ also emerged. These findings produce new evidence that in this context, gender and sexuality diversity at school was overwhelmingly constructed as problematic. We argue that these constructions contributed to broader national discourses of gender and sexuality diversity as being dangerous or risky, especially for young people

Criminology · Heteronormativity · Human sexuality · Innocence · Mass media · Media studies · Political science · Print media · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law

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